Ask any parent and they’ll tell you they would do anything to ensure their kids grow up happy, healthy and productive members of society.

I myself was overwhelmed with this feeling when I became a mother three years ago. That’s why it saddens me to report that the majority of our Alameda County children are not getting the types of experiences and support they need to succeed in school.

For the last decade, First 5 Alameda County has done a cross-county Kindergarten Readiness Assessment to measure how prepared kids are for kindergarten. The most recent results are just in, and they are not good: 56 percent of our incoming kindergartners arrive in the classroom without some basic academic and social skills such as being able to express themselves, being able to listen, getting along with others and coping with adversity. And, despite their best efforts, schools are struggling to keep up with their students’ learning needs.

Research shows that kindergarten readiness is correlated with third-grade math and reading scores, high school graduation and lifelong outcomes in employment and health. So, this is not simply an issue of catching children up in the first few weeks; the readiness gap can persist throughout a child’s life.

There is hope within the report, however, as it sheds light on what we can do to better support young children during the early years of rapid brain development. Kindergarten readiness improves with experience in licensed child care or preschool and, not surprisingly, children who are well-fed and well-rested are more likely to arrive at kindergarten ready to learn.

Investments in early learning opportunities yield benefits for generations to come. Kids with access to quality care now will grow up to be healthier, more productive members of society later. Parents who can put their kids in quality early care and education programs immediately benefit from being able to work and take care of their families.

But expanding access to early care and education opportunities isn’t enough. Nearly one in five students came to school hungry or tired in the first week of classes, and 27 percent of children come from families that make less than $35,000 a year, two factors that are correlated with lower readiness scores.

Housing, transportation and food security all affect kids’ ability to learn, and are important, if often overlooked, aspects of early childhood policy. In a county where the cost of living is making it ever more difficult for families to make ends meet, access to early learning in combination with basic family support are crucial to the health of our communities.

I’m proud to be raising my daughter in Alameda County, with its diverse, hard-working and forward-thinking families. It’s a county with so much wealth and opportunity, where all families could have access to the resources they need to help their children thrive. Indeed, I believe that one day our county’s success will be measured by the well-being of our youngest kids.

Kristin Spanos is CEO of First 5 Alameda County. First 5 programs in each of the state’s 58 counties are funded by Proposition 10, passed by voters in 1998, which adds a 50-cent tax to each pack of cigarettes. The money goes to programs to improve the lives of children up to age 5.

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